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BobRogers 23 November 2011

I've been mixing this Contemporary Christian CD and I find that the amount of true bass - say 40-50Hz and below - doesn't translate well to an environment like a car where this range is hyped. This hasn't been much of an issue before. My mixes of jazz, folk, Americana, etc. are pretty old school and don't put much energy in those frequencies. I mix with JBL 6328P's and except for this issue I've been pretty pleased. Mixes translate well to other systems. I have a lot of Arulex and 703 bass traps in the room, and while it is too dead to be considered a "good" room, it's pretty neutral. (I have to admit that I haven't measured the response in a while.)

Anyway, I'm thinking of adding a sub woofer. The obvious choice is the http://www.sweetwat… JBL 6312SP[/]="http://www.sweetwat… JBL 6312SP[/]. Any other recommendations? Any suggestions other than adding the sub?

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Boswell Wed, 11/23/2011 - 07:55

My mixes jumped up a level in translatability several years ago when I added a KRK 10S subwoofer to my monitoring system (also KRKs). I plugged in a latching foot pedal to kick it in/out during mixing to see what I was gaining and losing.

The KRK 10S is very catholic and will work with most makes of main monitors. KRK themselves suggest using it with mains up to 8", but I think more depends on the acoustic qualities of your listening environment than on the actual inch size of the main monitors.

With any main+sub combination, it's important to get a correct balance between the mains and the sub not only in terms of acoustic level but also the physical placement, which translates into the correct listening distance and height.

BobRogers Wed, 11/30/2011 - 09:58

I ended up going with the JBL. No real chance to do extensive tests yet, but I'm very pleased with my initial trials. The first thing is that it doesn't suddenly cause a dramatic change in the room. There is much more clarity in the low end, and I can much more easily distinguish what is happening on changes in low end eq. But it doesn't turn the system into a '70's disco flashback. I think this is going to be a big help.

One thing, I still have to experiment with positions. It's a big speaker, so that cuts down my options - at least until this summer when I'm thinking about turning Shirl's sewing room into a control room and get to start from scratch on design.

audiokid Wed, 11/30/2011 - 14:45

Bob, your rooms sounds similar to mine.

I'm going to get a sub but am wondering what to buy now. The ones for my monitors are expensive! Knowing what I know from my touring days, tight bass costs money. We used Crown and Carvers for bass.

I'm going to be mixing dance music soon. How much is overkill here in spending money? Those KRK are pretty affordable for me right now. If I'm not cranking everthing, what are we paying in a sub. Are cheaper subs going to be a bit muddy which might give me the wrong impression?

Bob, why did you choose JBL?

BobRogers Wed, 11/30/2011 - 16:06

I chose the JBL 6312 sub because my mains are the JBL 6328P's. In some way's its a lazy decision, but it was very plug and play. I'm sure there are cheaper solutions that would be just as good if I played with the crossovers and balanced the levels. This just sounded good immediately. And again, it sounded very natural. After this experience, there is no way I would mix dance music without a sub. I had been auditioning the new UAD Little Labs Voice of God emulation (which might be very good with dance music). Before the sub I could only hear large changes in the level. Now It's easy to hear 1-2 dB changes in level. It's not so much that the low bass is louder - it's not like a club or a car stereo - it's just a lot more focused, clearer, easier to distinguish small changes.

Davedog Wed, 11/30/2011 - 21:09

I know that there are subs available that are considered generic for lots of different systems. I bought the recommended sub for my system simply because I think the manufacturers spend the time engineering a system in a holistic way. I have Genelec 1029's with a Genelec 1091 sub. The translation is very satisfying through the full range. Its even more evident after I added the Tannoy System 8's last week. I didnt want a sub with these, only their incredible mid-range detail and the lack of phase between the tweeter and the woofer since they are concentric design. I've already gone back and adjusted a lot of guitar tones and the changes are very clear and obviously needed when I switch back to the Gene's.

I know the Neumann sub is a big chunk of moolah but it may be the best buy in the long run, Chris.

Davedog Wed, 11/30/2011 - 23:29

audiokid, post: 379863 wrote: Thanks for the encouragement guys. I'm thinking I might hold off on the STC-8 and invest in some nice subs and something else. I'm also thinking I should order replacement speakers for those Tannoys. You like em that much eh?

Back "in the day" I spent a LOT of hours on a set of Urie 809's. I have been completely convinced of the beauty of the concentric speaker design ever since. We soffitt mounted those bad boys and had a real nice Crown running them. Not only were they incredibly detailed they got loud as hell for all the hair bands that wanted to hang out and listen to the mixes. Its all about the lack of phase that you get between the tweeters and the woofers. Even with the very best designs and crossovers there is still some physically.

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